Maroon 5 leads star-studded night at Hollywood Bowl

From left: Diamond Bar residents Nazli, Karina, Ruby and Nilufar have fun before seeing Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw in concert Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl.ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Monday night’s triple bill at the Hollywood Bowl, which teamed local heroes Maroon 5 with enduring Bay Area group Train and singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw, was sponsored by MyFM (104.3), whose combination of Top 40 hits and adult contemporary fare has made it a radio training bra for listeners who will eventually grow into the stodgier KOST 103.5.

It is stations like that and their respective listeners who rescued Train from the clutches of obscurity. I like to imagine the band sitting in a dark corner somewhere, screaming “hey-ey hey-ey-ey-ey” until a couple of exasperated studio execs threw their hands up and said, “Fine, you can be famous again.”

Yet, even though the comeback kids have soared to another peak on the wings of “Hey, Soul Sister” – which in February scored them their first Grammy win in seven years (and third overall), it’s still a waiting game to see whether they’re experiencing a truly lasting career resurgence or simply running on borrowed time.

Based on Monday’s set, the reality is probably somewhere in between. Everything about them was reasonably solid: guitarist Jimmy Stafford (who resembles Howie Mandel’s long-lost twin) tackled some decent riffs; lead singer Pat Monahan, still a generic cross between Bono and Mick Jagger, tried his darndest to work the crowd with a mix of charismatic cockiness countered by self-deprecation.

Predictably, the brightest spot in their set was “Hey, Soul Sister,” still a little surprising considering that ditty’s appeal has been thoroughly eroded by commercial overkill. Live, however, Train managed to recapture a good amount of the ukulele-driven tune’s original charm. Their performance was perfectly acceptable and relatively entertaining – more than enough to satisfy those who came specifically to see them but not enough to necessarily win any new fans.

Still, despite crowded billing, Maroon 5 was the indisputable headliner, readily evident as soon as the L.A. band launched into its first song. Frontman Adam Levine (above), guitarist James Valentine and the rest of the quintet were all business, barreling through song after song to compensate for a truncated set time. Six songs flew by before Levine took a breath to welcome to the audience, including “Harder to Breathe” (at times blended with Kanye West’s “Power”), “Sunday Morning”, “If I Never See Your Face Again” and “Makes Me Wonder.”

Its two follow-up albums, 2007's It Won't Be Soon Before Long and last year's Hands All Over, were far from terrible, yet Maroon 5 still hasn’t topped 2002’s breakthrough Songs About Jane; accordingly, more songs were played from that disc than any other. They’ve had almost a decade to perfect those tracks live, and it shows, with instrumental passages expertly accentuating the nuances of their funky pop/rock, further enhanced by Levine’s distinctive vocals. “The Sun” exemplified this, with deliciously groovy guitars that rendered the original track flat and dull in comparison.

“This is the venue you dream of playing when you live in L.A.” Levine said. The band clearly put in its best effort to make this night at the Bowl as special as possible, cramming in fan favorites as well as special guests.

After opening with “Moves Like Jagger,” M5’s new collaboration with fellow coach on The VoiceChristina Aguilera, Levine extended the love for NBC’s reality singing contest by bringing out winner Javier Colon, the singer he mentored, to duet on Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.” (Colon and the rest of The Voice's finalists appear Wednesday night at Gibson Amphitheatre.) Then Maroon 5 upped the ante in the encore: whereas Stevie Nicks performed “Landslide” with Colon during the competition, here she surprised the audience with a stirring “Leather and Lace,” Levine handling the Don Henley part.

Rock legends aside, however, the band’s sweetest and coolest gesture of the night involved superfan Heather, who was pulled up during the closer, “She Will Be Loved.” Levine thanked her for many years of support (she’s been to more Maroon 5 shows than anyone else, he said) and sat her down on stage for the remainder of the melancholy tune, dedicating it to the one who loves them most.

From left: Diamond Bar residents Nazli, Karina, Ruby and Nilufar have fun before seeing Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw in concert Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Liliana, LaDonna and Val, from left, enjoy wine on a shaded bench before seeing Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw in concert Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A bunch of Maroon 5 fans hang out outside the Hollywood Bowl before Monday night's Maroon 5/Train show. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Stephanie Tseng, Jenn Santana and Michelle Malchiodi, from left, hang out enjoying the scene before seeing Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw in concert Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tim and Rebecca DeLuca enjoy wine out of the back of their car before seeing Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw in concert Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Young Maroon 5 fans scream at the top of their lungs in an attempt to win a T-shirt before Monday night's concert at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5's Adam Levine performs during Monday night's Hollywood Bowl show. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5's Adam Levine sings for Hollywood Bowl fans during Monday's concert. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5's Adam Levine sings for Hollywood Bowl fans during Monday's concert. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5's Matt Flynn rocks out on drums during Monday night's Hollywood Bowl concert. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5 performs at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5 bassist Mickey Madden performs during Monday night's Hollywood Bowl concert. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5 keyboardist Jesse Carmichael gets one of the band's popular songs going during Monday night's Hollywood Bowl concert. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine gets into it during Monday night's Hollywood Bowl performance. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine puts some feeling into it during Monday night's Hollywood Bowl performance. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Matt Flynn, on drums, rock out for Hollywood Bowl fans on Monday. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Matt Flynn, on drums, rock out for Hollywood Bowl fans on Monday. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Devon Mauch, left, and Donna Foss picnic in the Hollywood Bowl parking lot before Monday's Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw concert. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
From left: Corona residents Kiana, Brandon, Lisa, Megan and Ashley, get ready to walk up the hill to see Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw in concert Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sisters Stacey Cohen and Julie Sherman, left, and Stacey's daughter Alyssa have a good time hanging out together outside of the Hollywood Bowl before Monday night's Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw concert. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Chris Cunningham and Alice Lagrotta won a pair of tickets to Monday's Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw concert at the Hollywood Bowl from 104.3 MYFM. (Chris, however, wasn't too happy about where the seats were located.) ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Gavin DeGraw performs early as the first of three groups, along with Maroon 5 and Train, who appears at Monday's Hollywood Bowl concert. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Gavin DeGraw and Billy Norris, on guitar, perform during Monday's Hollywood Bowl concert. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Phoenix residents Bianca, Alexis, Haley and Andi, from left, see if they can all fit into the back of their car while having fun at Monday's Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw concert at the Hollywood Bowl. They also happened to be celebrating Haley's birthday. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Having fun at Monday's Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw concert at the Hollywood Bowl are, from left, Dr. Katie Moulton, Trina Iouine, Nicolle Fazis and Silvia Mason. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Ashleigh Foss, left, and Caley Mauch have fun tailgating before Monday's Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw concert at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The globalinheritance.org folks were passing out fliers about their organization at Monday's Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw concert at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
San Fernando Valley residents Cindy Lewis, Shirley Gibbs and Julie Todd, from left, were really excited about seeing Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Fans find their seats for Monday's Maroon 5, Train and Gavin DeGraw concert at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Samantha Shapiro, Rusty Feldman and Casey Barnett, from left, get in tight for a photo while waiting for Maroon 5 to take the stage Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Maroon 5 fans have dinner in their Hollywood Bowl box while waiting for the band to take the stage Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Train lead singer Pat Monahan runs the length of the stage during his band's set before Maroon 5 at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Train lead singer Pat Monahan salutes the Hollywood Bowl crowd during Monday's performance before Maroon 5 at the Hollywood Bowl. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Train's Pat Monahan and guitarist Jimmy Stafford perform together at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Train guitarist Jimmy Stafford rocks out during his band's set before Maroon 5 at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
San Clemente residents Stacey Cameron and Jason Currie have fun while waiting for friends to arrive before going in to see Maroon 5 at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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